Shockoe Valley and Tobacco Row Historic District (Additional Documentation)

Shockoe Valley and Tobacco Row is a 129-acre section of downtown Richmond, Virginia, running from the James River and Richmond Dock up toward Church and Union hills. It holds over 500 buildings, including tobacco factories and warehouses along East Cary Street, cast-iron storefronts on East Main Street, the Farmers' Market area, railroad depots, viaducts, and a small residential block of town houses on North 19th Street. The area marks the site of Richmond's earliest settlement, laid out in 1737 and later shaped by canal and railroad transportation. Tobacco manufacturing made the city a leading commercial center by 1860, and the industry drove its recovery after the Civil War. The district was listed for this record of commerce and for its range of architecture, from Federal houses and the Old Stone House to Greek Revival, Italianate, and industrial buildings. Demolition, parking lots, and expressway construction have damaged parts of its edges, while revitalization efforts continue.